Archive | February, 2013

2/16/12 Recaps

18 Feb

Consortium 81 vs. Dayton Dunbar 44- Dunbar is a pretty well-respected team in the State of Ohio.  But Consortium treated them like they were their little brother.  Freshman Josh Jackson had seven of his team’s first 13 points in the first quarter giving them a 21-8 lead at the end of one.  Consortium’s Vincent Hunter, a UTEP commit, gave Dunbar big man Damarion Geter fits all day in the post.  Consortium built up its lead up to 43-18 at half, and Dunbar was never able to get the deficit under twenty for the rest of the game.  Things got so bad for Dunbar, that a running clock had to be instilled in the fourth quarter.  Jackson finished up with 27 for Consortium, while Hunter added 24.  A.J. Harris led Dunbar scoring 12 points.

Southfield Christian 47 vs. Allen Park Inter-Ciy Baptist 46- Sophomore Bakari Evelyn saved his best for last scoring 11 of his game high 25 points for Christian in the final quarter.  Here is how the end of the game went.  Christian had the ball with about 15 seconds to play looking to win the game.  They missed the shot but got the rebound with less than a minute left to play.  So they thought.  The officials decided to put two more seconds on the clock and place the ball underneath the basket, making it a better angle for the final play.  What do you do with the game on the line, give the ball to your playmaker.  Evelyn lobbed a pass up to Damarco White and tipped it in for the final game winning score.  White finished up with only 6 because he had been in foul trouble throughout most of the game.  The win for Christian makes up for an earlier game this year where they lost to Baptist at the buzzer.  Evan Kraatz had 21 Inter-City.

Notes

Game 1: If they is one flaw is Josh Jackson’s game people criticize about it is his jump shot.  But that could not be criticized today.  Jackson seemed to pull up wherever he wanted to, making five three-point shots.  Josh reminded me of LeBron James today.  He played about four positions, and did not only score the ball.  He also acted like a facilitator, and a rebounder in the winning effort.  Both traits recruiters look for in a player.

Game 2: Evelyn has the skills beyond his years.  Not only did he play well on the offensive end, but in crunch time in the fourth quarter.  The sophomore stepped upped and played ferocious defense on Kratz of Baptist.  Before that, it seemed as if Kratz was getting anything he wanted with the previous defenders that guarded him.  But not until Bakari checked him.  Forcing Kraatz to have to give the ball to his teammates instead of doing whatever he pleased with the ball.

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PSL Finals Recap

17 Feb

King 45 vs. Cass Tech 38 (Girls)- The Crusaders of Martin Luther King won their second PSL Girls Basketball Championship out lasting Cass Tech in a tough hard-fought game.  The Technecians came out and surprised the entire city by only allowing King two points in the entire first quarter.  But in the third quarter is where King made their move.  Outscoring Cass 17-9 in the quarter.  In the fourth is where things got interesting.  Cass was able to cut into the lead by as much as six points at 34-28.  But were unable to get any closer.  LaQuita Heart had 16 points for King, and senior Antania Hayes had 11 and 14 rebounds.  Lauren Elliot had nine for Cass.

Pershing 80 vs. Cass Tech 61- Pershing needed to come out and make a statement after last year’s disappointing performance in the PSL Championship.  And they did just that.  Oakland commit Kahlil Felder nailed two-three pointers in the first two minutes of the contest setting the tempo for the rest of the game.  The Doughboys lead 37-26 at half thanks to a Martez Walker three-point shot as time expired to send the teams into over time.  In that second half, Pershing senior Lorenzo Collier  came out and set the tempo early scoring eight of his teams first 13 points in the quarter, a deficit Cass was never able to overcome giving Pershing their 3rd city title in five years.

Notes

Game 2: For Pershing, Collier and Justin Tillman finished up with 17 points.  While Martez Walker had 20 for the Doughboys.  This is Pershing’s first city title for coach Wydell Henry, who replaced A.W. Canada at the beginning of the season.  For Cass, it was D’Andre Johnson leading them in scoring with 13 points.  The senior seemed to have no support from his teammates, resulting in him trying to take the game over and pressing a little bit.  Kahlil Felder did not score many points, but you can tell that he is a big time player.  When the pressure is up on Pershing, that is where Felder steps his game up.  This is the one game, I have seen Pershing put together for foursolid quarters,  And not wait until the second half to make their run.

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Unsigned Front Court Players

15 Feb

Unsigned Senior Front Court Players

1. Miroslav Jaskic (Walled Lake Western)- The Canadian transfer is one of the most dominant big men I have ever seen play in the MHSAA.  There is nothing he can’t do on the basketball court from a front court player perspective.  A truly offensive weapon.  He is effective in both the pick-and-roll, and the pick-and-pop.  Some reports have that Duke is looking at him.  Will attend a year of prep school after the season.

2. Kyle Steward (Cass Tech)- Kyle at times can get lost during the course of the game, but when involved he leaves his impact.  The long athletic forward knows how to crash the glass from an offensive perspective, helped by the fact he got the winning tip-in against Southeastern.  So far mid-major schools are showing interest.

3. Romondo Ray (Detroit Western)- Ray might be the rawest big man in the state.  The one thing that I like about his game is if takes a jump shot, he beats defenders who were down low in the post to the ball.  A high energy type of player.  If he finds the right coaches to tweak his game up a little bit, he could be a diamond in the rough.

4. Jerrell Martin (Detroit Community)- Martin fits the definition of a grinder.  A true workhorse on the court.  His main skill is his defensive presence in the paint.  Makes you think twice about putting the ball up.  A nice D2 prospect.

5. Rashawn Walker (Detroit Midtwon Academy)

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Interview with Charles Key

14 Feb

Charles might only be listed at 6’5″, but the way he crashes the glass would make you think is a seven footer.  He is a master at tip backs and dunks in a crowd of bodies.  Key is still in the process of mastering the 15-18 foot jump shot, but when he does he will be one hard load to handle for a defender.  Might need to add some more weight if he wants to stick around down low in the post.  But he has the raw skills that are needed for a front court player to succeed.

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Update on D’Andre Johnson of Cass Tech

13 Feb

Interest: Florida Atlantic University.

Visits Upcoming: Florida Atlantic University next weekend.

New Offers: Florida Atlantic offered last week, also Lehigh has offered as well.

Favorites So Far: Florida Atlantic, Lehigh, and St. Bonaventure.

Decision: Right before the state playoffs.  What will go into his decision will not only be basketball, but what the coaching staff has turned players into after their basketball careers are over.

My Notes

D’Andre is a quick point guard who can create offense, period.  Not to many point guards have I seen who have his quick first step.  An absolute beast in transition.  As an up and coming jump shot, but when he is on, he is on.  Also I have to say one of the more toughest point guard defenders in the state.  Willing to take a charge or two.

 

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Detroit PSL Semi-Finals Recap

13 Feb

Cass Tech 61 vs. Southeastern 60: There was no better ending to a basketball game than what happened at Cass Tech on Tuesday the 12th of February.  Trailing by double digits with a little over six minutes left in the game, most in the arena were ready to head to the parking lot.  But not SE.  Javon Haines single-handedly brought the Jungaleers back into the game, hitting a huge three at the mid-way point to cut the score to only 57-54.  Now here is how the ending went.  Cass Tech made a huge turnover with 26 seconds left in the game to give Southeastern the ball back.  SE missed the first shot on their possession, but junior Darryl Bigham was their for the put back with under 11 seconds to play.  With no timeouts remaining, Cass senior point guard D’Andre Johnson drove into the paint but was no good.  A following put back attempt by fellow senior Kyle Steward was good however, giving CT the win and sending them to Calihan Hall on Friday night.

Pershing 50 vs. Douglass 40: Similar to the earlier SE Cass game, a team attempted to make a comeback but was not to be.  Both teams struggled throughout the entire game to get into any offensive rhythm.  However, in the fourth is where things changed.  The score was 34-24 Pershing after three, but Douglass was able to make it 42-37 with 1:30 left in the contest.  But Douglass turned the ball over too much in that time span giving Pershing the hard-fought victory.

Notes

Game 1: Javon Haines might not be the tallest player on the court, but plays with huge amounts of passion.  The senior guard contributed 24 of his teams 60 points.  That is over a 1/3 of their total points!  He has the skills individually to create offense for himself at any time.  An absolute monster on the floor.  I have seen SE play many times this year, and sometimes he is the only one scoring.  I would say that he is a nice D2 prospect.  Daryl Bigham of the Jugaleers I could tell has made great strides throughout the entire season.  Against Cass he proved that he is a reliable forward who a team can dump the ball to in order to get points.  For Cass, D’Andre Johnson started of slow, but in the end finished with 19 hard earned points.

Game 2: The lone bright spot in this game for Fred D was the defensive performance was of junior Andre Frederick.  At times it looked like Pershing star junior Justin Tillman wanted no part of Andre.  Frederick has quick feet that makes him even a threat on the perimeter to block shots.  Has an improving offensive game, but defense wins championships.

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Update on Authur Hill’s Jalen Adams

11 Feb

Latest Interest: Villanova, Nebraska, and Auburn.

Offers: None

Visits: Waiting until the end of the season.  Needs to finish up tests.

Looking For: Run-and-gun style offense, and a quality education.

Favorites: Villanova, La Salle, and Iowa.

Decision: After the season.

My Report

Jalen would be an absolute steal for any team that can land him.  I would say that he might be the most athletic unsigned senior in the state.  Some reports have him at a 40 inch vertical. Adams has the ability to make a highlight whenever he takes flight.  Once he gains more confidence in his jump shot, it will make him a much more complete player, only making him tougher to guard.

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Update on Arthur Hill’s Eric Davis

11 Feb

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Offers: NC State, Oregon, Massachusetts, MSU, and Iowa State.

Interest From: Kansas, Duke, and Kentucky.

Favorites: Open

Has Visited: NC State, U of M, and MSU.

Looking For: A solid team and strong academics.

My Report

Eric is only sophomore, but the way you watch him play would make you think is a senior.  Eric can break you down and take you to the hole, or pull up and hit the open jump shot.  He is getting stronger, which was evident by the fact that he finished some nice shots at the rim drawing and-ones.  Not to bad a dribbler as well.  Can handle the ball on the break and drop a dime or two.

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Interview with Justin Tillman

10 Feb

Having to sit out for more than half the season is not easy.  But watching Justin Tillman for Detroit Pershing play for the first time this year, it made me think how much more dominant Pershing would be if Tillman was healthy for the whole year.  Tillman is a true glass eater down low.  But at the same time, he did knock down some perimeter jump shots for the Doughboys.  Think about it, they already have a true point guard in Kahlil Felder, a pure scorer in Martez Walker, and a knock down shooter in Lorenzo Collier.  This team will now be able to take on teams with dominant big men, because of the fact that Tillman is back now.

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Interview with Martez Walker

9 Feb

If there is one thing that Martez does exceptionally well on the basketball court, it is shoot the ball.  He loves to shoot from anywhere on the court, but is most deadly on the perimeter.  Once he gets a more fluid release of the ball, he will absolutely be deadly.  Don’t take me wrong, he is still a very good shooter with his present day release.  He is one of the most purest scorers in the state.  An absolute steal for anyone on the market looking for a solid scoring wing who can give 20+ points a night.  A high energy, high emotion type player who when you see him on the court, you can see that he enjoys playing the game of basketball.

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